Dine

Salad with chicken and goat cheese at Bar Esquina

My Gluten and Dairy Free Life

Being gluten and dairy free isn't easy, ESPECIALLY when you live in a foreign country! People constantly ask me "But what CAN you eat?". It's pretty simple...I eat a lot! And living in Mexico hasn't changed that. I used to get nervous and think, does this waiter really understand what I am saying? My Spanish is conversational but I am definitely not fluent. And I am by no means perfect when it comes to being 100% gluten/dairy free. Do I eat gluten or dairy on purpose? No. But do I stress every time I go out that the kitchen has taken every precaution to minimize my exposure like I did when I was first diagnosed? No. Am I sometimes SO hungry that I forget to check my to go order and come home to find a sprinkle of cheese that I carefully scrap off, pop an allergy pill and pray I don't get sick from the delicious meal I am about to eat? YES! I have learned over the years that I am not super sensitive to gluten cross contamination but I am very susceptible to dairy. Even the smallest amount of dairy causes terrible migraines. Luckily, I can tolerate a small amount of goat cheese when I want to splurge a little. So PLEASE understand, if you have a severe allergy or are very sensitive to cross contamination, some of my suggestions may not be for you. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. PROVECHO!

Lost In Translation

Here are a few key words and phrases everyone with food allergies should learn when traveling or living in Mexico:

Soy alérgico a - I am allergic to (male)

Soy muy alérgico a - I am very allergic to (male)

Gluten - Gluten

Intolerancia al gluten - Gluten intolerance

Soy alérgica a - I am allergic to (female)

Soy muy alérgica a - I am very allergic to (female)

Lácteo - Dairy

Intolerancia a los productos lácteos - Dairy intolerance

I find that many places in Mexico have not heard of celiac disease, gluten or even know what products are included in the dairy family. However an allergy is something that is globally understood. For this reason, whether allergic/intolerant/celiac etc. I would typically say something like this: